Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-09-16


their empty beor-mugs and called OF
the young woman to begin. She
did so, and sang two old English bal
lads in rather pretty contralto. The
performance was in no wise rcmnrka-
bic, but considerably above the grade
her present auditors were accustomed
TO. She was apploudcd TO the echo,
and when she had stopped, burly fell
low with red flannel shirt and huge
boots carried round his sombrcro, and
pretty nearly everybody put something
in. The young woman, in voice
chokcd with emotion, thanked her
friends, and after farewell song
smiled n good night and left the place
with go or ESQ in her little cambric
/ handkerchief.
/ could not get the woman out of my
head that night. Her great solemn
eyes haunted me, and in my dreams
discovered all manner of reasons for
the hunted look In thcm-nnd method
of removing it and putting pcrma-
ncnt one of peace and happiness
there instead also, am ashamed
to say. We all four arose
early, and at o'clock that afternoon,
after an nfrcctionatc farewell TO SPELL
man and Alf, Fred and ], each nstridc
of n sturdy animal, set forth upon our
journey.
1t was growing dusk when, fifteen
miles out of the city, we sighted soli-
tary equestrian ahead of us. Pleased
ut the prospect of company, VIC quick
cncd our pace, and what was our as
constituent to discover, in the rather
ratty horscman whom VIC presently
drew alongside of, our tavern song
stress of the night before. She was
dressed in closely fitting suit of dark
grey, cXtrcmiticd with u pair of natty
riding-boots, and she must have no.
ticcd the admiring glanccs bestowed
by my companion and myself on her
trim little figure, for she flushed deeply
as she salutcd us. She evidently rccog-
nizcd us.
"This is n great re,icf to me, gentle
men, she said, with downward
droop of the white cyclids that set my
pulses going with abnormal rapdity,
"but you see | had to make the journey
alone, and this" touching II trim little
boot with her light whip, "was the
only way in which could do it with
safety. You will not bctray me, will
you?"
"Betray you!" VIC both echoed
breathlcssly, stupclied with admiration
of the little woman's pluck, "We'll'-
but never mind what we said. We
sworc that she shouldn't know single
hardship on the journey and the smile
and hand-pressurc we each got in re-
turn more than repaid lis for the sacri-
flee we knew we were making.
1t is unnecessary to recount the de-
tails of the journey. AT night the lit
tie woman slept on n bed of moss and
leaves in our one tent, while we rolled
ourselves in our blankets and slept un-
der the stars. She got the tid-bits of
the provisions and thanked us between
every snap of her white teeth for what
she termed our "hcavenly kindness"
Fred and | never discussed her; she
was rather Il tender point between us,
but the way we We'd with each
other in the attentions we be-
slowed on her would have plainly
showed an unprejudiced observer
that we were equally smitten. So the
days and nights passed, until our dcs-
tination was reached.
1t was not big camp. Something
like one hundred and fifty men had lo-
Gated on the banks of little stream,
and though our arrival was regarded
with some little jealousy, our reception
was fairly cordial, us such receptions
90. Our charge lost no time in max
ing inquiries, and when she heard that
such II person as she described as her
brother had not been seen or heard of,
she took to her tent and spent her days
in weeping and repining. Fred and |
lost no time in getting to work, how
ever, and to make long story shorter,
our luck was simply marvellous. We
"struck it" the very first day, and our
"linds" kept increasing in number and
"cH'ln' hi'cr Wceh or lell uayS our
fair triend-whose sex remained plo-
found secret in the camp, the young
lady passing as my younger brother
insisted on coming to work with us,
and developed n remarkable facility
for discovering the precious grains.
Her smooth, daintily-tapering fingers
soon became as brown and begrimed
as our own, Notwithstanding the vigor-
Gus protests of Fred and myself rs to
the sncrilegc of such y Thing, and in
another week or so she mad evidently
forgotten all about her brother, and
had become as expert and thirsty II
gold-mincr as either OF us.
Meanwhile the presence of this beau
tiful creature was exercising an intlu-
cnce over us, the STRENGTH of which we
,,.o,o IN, , I, go $40, ,,,,iI
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